The guys from paying They've kind of showed me how much the equipment matters.
I just love that I can hit any shot I kind of want.
We're gonna be able to tell some fun stories about what goes on here to help golfers play better golf.
Welcome back to the Ping proven Grounds Podcast. I'm Shane Bak and that is Marty Jertsen Marty in Person podcast. Always a little bit different, right, yeah, it is fun make you more uncomfortable, to make you just equally normal comfortable, a.
Little bit more, a little bit more uncomfortable.
Press in summer Haze is with us as well. Pressed in third year at ASU, you're kind of rocket and rolling. Now finally, I feel like this is kind of the time when you get into this semester, right, you get through September, you get through kind of mid October, you kind of know where you're at in terms of grades and schooling and your classes. Do you like your schedule looks pretty normal on paper?
Mm hmm, Yeah, definitely, I would say, you know, always every single year, the first part is always a little bit hard to adjust, just getting used to like the school part, and you've got a whole new team new schedule. You've got lots of qualifying, So yeah, we're kind of towards the end of our fall season and it's nice to kind of like know where we're at and be.
Also, what's what's your hardest class this semester? Do you have a move stands out?
Yes, definitely my Advanced Research and Methods class.
It sounds like, oh yeah.
Oh jeez, that scares me a little bit, quite frank Marty, what was your.
I mean I can only imagine some of the class names you took in college. Does one standouts? Maybe a class you had to study a little harder in or pay a little bit more attention.
To, Man, I was really bad at like computer programming, which is ironic because now I'm like, do make software things? But yeah, differential equations, you know, or linear algebra, those are some of the tough ones.
So Preston, I went to you of a our tribal. Obviously, I'm married of Sun Devil, so I've kind of gotten past all this stuff. But I took an elective and it was like Russian Federation class, and about two weeks then I went, I think I'm gonna drop. This is gonna help me in my broadcasting media career.
You're actually going through that same problem right now. I signed up for a Mediterranean lifestyle class, and like three weeks in, I've realized that there's like a one hundred and fifty pages of reading a week, and I was like, I just do not have time for that. I gotta drop that.
So I took to be fair, I took the rushing class because the girl liked at the time took the class. Okay, that sense convinced to sign up for it, and then it didn't work out, and I was like, you know what, I don't think I need to know a whole bunch abou Russia at this point in my life. You've had a kind of a wild year in golf. I mean not just the way you've played, you know, collegiately, but the Walker Cup at St. Andrew's. I can only imagine when you think about playing in a Walker Cup. It's
a Walker Cup. It didn't play a Walker Cup at St. Andrews as a whole different beast. How has the year been? Can you kind of sum up what twenty twenty three has been like for you?
Yeah, twenty twenty three has been incredible. I mean it kind of started the year like last spring season, played super super well, had a lot of top five finishes, had to win, played decent nationals. You know, our team didn't go all the way, but it was still a great year. Ended up being a first team All American, which was one of my goals starting the year. So
that was awesome. And then you know, summer golf just kind of takes off and you're going week to week, two week to week, and you know, especially with the Walker Cup coming up, you know how important those tournaments are.
So it was just a super intense summer. But then to you know, get the get the call from Captain McCoy to be on the Walker Cup at Saint Andrews is h I mean, it's really special because you know every amateur wants to play at that level at the Walker Cup, but to do it in Scotland at Saint Andrews, it just made it one hundred times.
Better pressing, at least, like for me. The beginning of the summers, like US Open qualifying, tell I think one of the coolest things that you did to kick off this summer was I looked at US Open sexuals, saw your name, saw your score. You look at them in the morning, we're not I didn't make it to sectionals. So then I see the final result, I'm like, holy moly, what happened here? Tell us the story your second round there?
Sixty two, Yeah, sixty to get in the to get in lacc tell us about that round?
Okay, yeah, I mean so Sectionals is always, uh, you know, it's the longest day in golf, and you know it's thirty six sols, and thank goodness it's thirty six soles because I got out that first day or that first round, and you know, it wasn't too harsh on even part that morning round, and you know, kind of I knew that I had to have the round that I played to make it, but it just kind of frees you up in the sense where it's like, you know, what if I don't go out and have the best round,
you know, it's fine, I'm gonna play the next tournament. But you know, I got off to a great start, and you know, I can't really remember how the round went, but I know I was probably four or five under through the first nine, and you know, from there I was like, oh, I could definitely do the same on the back, and you know, watching the leader board, kind
of seeing where it's at. I made a couple more birdies early on the back nine, and you know, then you start getting that buzz and you start feeling that pressure and it's a great feeling. And then I knew where I was at going on, going into the last till I was seven under part five and a tight faaraway hit a great drive, had a five iron into a back pin, hit that to about fifteen feet and
then made that put to shoot nine under. And I mean that's not even all of it, too, because I had to get up the next day to to for a playoff to get in because it was a.
You shoot nine and you got to sleep on it.
Yeah, exactly. So I didn't get much sleep that night. I mean, thank goodness, my adrenaline was going the next morning, so I didn't feel that tired. But yeah, I got out that next morning part of the first hole and just like that.
So in the US that your second US Open, because I know you played you won the Junior in nineteen, is that right? The GENI amter in nineteen. So you and Marty both played wing foot in twenty, right, Yeah, can you compare the two US Open golf courses and experiences, because I mean, we have a picture of you, and we'll put this up on the YouTube page or whatever. It's a great picture considering what you look like now, this is three years ago. I mean you were a kid.
Then you'll go a man now. I mean, what the experience is like when you played it in twenty twenty as a quote unquote kid, and now you're playing in it with someone I can only imagine. I'm like, I'm going to go try to make the cut. I can maybe potentially contend at this US Open.
Yeah, so I just think that first US Open, I mean that was COVID year, so uh, you know, I went out there and there were no fans, so the atmosphere was a little bit different, but still it's a US Open.
Right at wingfoot, Yeah that wingfoot.
Which is pretty special. But the cool thing about it was because there was no fans, it kind of felt like it was a more chill vibe. So I was actually able to talk to a lot of players, you know, get some really cool practice rounds, and you know, the week was amazing. First major. Like you said, I was a kid when I played it, so you know, I didn't really go into it with much expectations, just trying to do the best I could. And then this last year at LACC was a little bit different where you know,
I qualified. I feel like I'm a different player, I'm a better player, and now I'm going to go out there and try to you know, try to throw up some scores and yeah, you know, try to do really well.
One of the big things PRESS that we've known from your stats is how much distance you've gained. I mean, you've you've sprouted up, You've been working on your speed from twenty you in the fortinet earlier this year on holes that had measure drives, you led the field in driving distance. I don't even know if you knew that. So what how what's that been like? That transformation like looking back to twenty which was you know, you didn't have that firepower obviously then you need to be briceon
to win that thing. Yeah, exactly at wing foot to now this year where you have a lot more pop. What's your ball speed up to? What's your club speed up to these days?
Yeah? So's It was actually a pretty long process and I started it really young, and it was it started at the US Amateur at Pebble Beach when Victor one.
Okay, so I was eighteen, is that right? Yep?
I was playing there as I think I just turned sixteen. I played really good and qualifying to get in, and I was swinging it around one of three one h four miles an hour with the driver, and you know, at that age, I was just super confident. I went in as a sixteen year old thinking, oh, I'm I should win this.
I want to win this in the US amateur yeah, uh huh.
And you know, Pebble Beach has super thick rough and it's a it's not so much a longer course, but it definitely it's an advantage to hit it far. Uh. So I go there, missed the cut, and I'm just like dad, man, I I just I thought I was going to do better, and he's like, Preston, you got to get longer, you have to swing it faster in order to compete in these events. So from then on, me and him did speed training at least four to
five times every single week for the next year. And speed training for US isn't really like any kind of uh it's not really any kind of workout or process. It's literally getting on the range, getting on the track, man, and swing it as hard as you can measure yes, okay, Yeah, So every day I was like, okay, this is my clubhead speed. I gotta try to swing faster than that, faster than that. And you know, in a year I went from that one to three to one o four to one to eighteen.
Wow, I mean that's an enormous jump. So you're from you're seventeen, you can put it these numbers. Yeah, I mean it's it's wild what you can do, Marty when you put the time in. I know you're obviously very very obsessed with this with the taxism and everything like that, but just having an opportunity to gain speed, even for a young player like that, I mean, it's out there and it's available.
Yeah, President, is that when you guys integrated that getting a little more vertical. See now in you're swinging, you kind of have that drop head draw up the unwaiting movement. Was that born from that work or have you always kind of had that movement in your.
Yeah, so I've always had that little drop from when I was young. But like that was the good thing about the way we did speed training is by me just trying to generate speed. I learned how to generate speed best for me. So instead of thinking, Okay, I got to go up and then come back down and use the ground to get speed, I'm just going to try to swing as hard as I can, and naturally, I just learned that.
Exactly as hard as I can. Yeah, you mentioned your dad, by the way, your your dad preceded you on the podcast. So it's another win for Boyd. Right. But is there like a rule amongst the family that we're not going to talk about golf in certain places or certain instances, or golf just always talked about?
No, we talk about golf twenty four Okay, it's actually funny.
Whatever you don't talk about golf, what do you talk about?
It's that's so funny. I'm trying to think of it. I mean, we're just our whole family is surrounded around golf, where every conversation is kind of stemming from that. Uh, let's see, we don't talk much about golf on like family vacation. Okay, if we go somewhere and uh, you know, we put the clubs away. But I mean, even though we're not talking about we're all thinking about it. We're just we're all obsessed.
You're you're like making holes on vacations, like palm trees. I could cut one around that, you.
Know, we go out to the beach. I was like, I can definitely hit a bunker shot off this right now. How would I do that? But yeah, that's usually the only time we're not talking about it, rustllent.
Let's talk about a little bit. What uh what's in your back?
Uh?
You go driver pretty pretty stock set up, which I think is really cool for the listeners out there. You played pretty stock set up. You've played blueprint irons for quite some time. I'd say maybe starting with the irons, what about your blueprint irons? Like uh uh kind of uh led you into those irons and then related to that, are you a shot shaper with your irons on the course.
Yes, I definitely uh like to like to shape the ball. And I think that's why I like the blueprint so much is it feels like I can actually try to move it a decent amount and it stays it stays fairly straight, which I really like. I think it's good for a player to try to do something extra and not have it do too much. Okay, uh so yeah, those blueprints are great. The I love the size of
the head. I like looking down at something small. I feel like it narrows me in make sure I get that good contact and uh yeah, it's just really easy for me to control my flight, to control the trajectory. It's just I mean I've been playing them for I think three or four years.
Now, yes, since they came out.
Yeah, I've never even thought once about changing them.
So when it comes to shots, shape, are you moving in vertically? And do you do you draw them into left pins, fade them into right pins?
Do you work?
Do you kind of change? It? Depend on the win conditions?
Yeah, I mean everything, everything really depends on the shot that you're hitting. And uh, you know, on golf, I think that's one of the best things about the sport is that there's so much variety, you know, on certain lies, PM positions wins uh, and you can just hit lots of different shots, so lots of different pins.
Uh.
But for me, I think the biggest thing is being able to see from behind the ball exactly what I
wanted to do. And like you said, with draws and cuts, I used to only be able to cut the ball and in the last year or so, I've been you know, working a little bit more on the draw and that's allowed me to stay aggressive well, actually playing more towards center than greens, because I mean, if if I can only hit a cut to the left pin, I really got to start my cut, you know, trouble trouble, and you know, if it stays straight, I'm gonna be short sighted,
especially to a left pin. So being able to actually work the ball right to left, I'm able to stay aggressive, but start my ball at the center of the green, and if it stays straight, it's it's just gonna be a twenty footer.
I mean, your relationship with Tony final has been well to outed. I mean we've talked a lot about it. I know you've talked about it on podcasts before. I know when this episode comes out, you'll have played at another PGA Tour event, the Worldwide Technology Championship in Mexico.
How much is playing with guys like Tony and John and even your college teammates, now, how much does that help prepare you for these moments when you're on the stage, You're playing with PGA Tour players in a PGA Tour event, knowing in your brain, I'm playing with two top ten players in the world at home.
Yeah, it's crazy, and I cannot say enough good things about Tony and John. But it's just I feel extremely lucky to be able to play with them, to be able to play with them a lot. And you know, like they said or like you said, they're like extremely
good players, top in the world. So to be able to see what they do and kind of compare it to my game and see where, you know, I kind of match with them, where oh, I have these same qualities, and then also seeing the other side of oh, they do this really good and I need to get better at that.
What's been like, what was the most shocking thing when you really I mean, I know you've known Tony for a long time, but when you started to grow and you got bigger and you were getting competitive and you became one of the best aameters in the world, where did you see the gap the most from your game to their game and where you wanted to improve.
Yeah. So I think one of the biggest things I worked on in the last couple of years is definitely my ball striking. Okay, and you know, I watched and everyone knows him as this power player that has insane speed. I don't think they realize how straight he hits it. Yeah, and how.
Accurate his iron hits. His iron stats are off the charge.
Yeah.
He does not get enough credit for how accurate it is. And I think that's what makes him a great player, is that he is both a power player and an accuracy player. So, you know, I was talking a minute ago about you know, I finally got that speed in that distance, and now it's just time for me to kind of zone it in and try to be as accurate as I can.
Preston. I've met some parents that have their kids playing at courses that they feel like we're too easy, and this was always very interesting to me. They felt like they need to get their kids on a course that's harder to challenge him more. You guys played Silberle. If you guys are shooting, there's that one round you shot sixty Did you wait? You've shot sixty out there right?
I know the round you're talking about is Tony's fifty nine.
Fifty nine. Me and John both shot sixty three.
Yeah, sixty two or sixty three, and the I spent sixty six.
What is the value of playing. It's not like silver leaf is a pitching pot, but you got you can't make some birdies out there. What is the value to you of being of playing those rounds where you get really under part Because it seems like you've been able to bring that to some big time talked about US Open qualifying. You've shot low round in the regionals or sectionals in Vegas last year in a tournament. You've been able to bring taking it deep to the course. What is that?
What?
What value does that have to be able to do that in some of your in your you know, practice rounds with the boys.
Yeah, it's uh, it's extremely valuable. And you know, I think to like all the parents out there who think that there the course their kids are playing or it is too tough. Uh. You know, I grew up on some some pretty easy courses, and I think it's really important for juniors to learn how to go low and to also be comfortable going low, because I remember that as a kid. Uh. You know, obviously, when you don't hit it far, you can make a course as tough
as you want if you play the back teas. But there are a couple of rounds where I'd just go up a couple of tea boxes, a te box or two, and you know, just try to go as low as I can. And what I noticed is that usually when I started to get around for five under, You're like, oh, this is a new feeling for me. I'm about to shoot my lowest round. And you know that's where kind
of the pressure comes in. And you know, being able to play a lot of rounds where you go that low, you just get more comfortable with it, where once you get to four or five six under, you're like, oh, I've been here before. Yeah, I know what I can do coming in, Like I'm I'm used to the situation and I know what I need to do to play good coming in. So I think it's extremely valuable.
Can I ask both of you guys a question about that point? Marty, I'll start with you. I've always struggled with the going low thing, right, Like I get to two or three and that next step to get to five and get to six, I will almost I guess i'd put it. I'd try to maintain where I'm at, versus continue to try to push fold doll on pedal.
What do you what's the y'all's mentality, And Marty, I'd like to hear from you first, But what's the mentality when you are at that two, three, four under numbers, you're making the turn, you're through ten holes to keep to keep the foot on the gas pedal.
I think to me, Shane, it would be if I'm playing in a tournament, I know the other guys are coming got you know, so like you're like, if you don't, you know, if Preston doesn't keep it going in that in that you's not getting your sectional, that's not happening. So I think some of the events I'll play in, maybe local stuff, section stuff courses are scorable. You know
that your competition. They're not afraid to go deep. So I think that's what at least to me helps me keep me going, is like you got you gotta beat these guys. These guys are good. There's good players everywhere, and they're they know how to go low, you know.
Yeah and press it. Just I mean when when did what did that gear switch for you in your mind to be able to kind of keep trying to go deep and get lower and lower and lower on the round.
Yeah, I think the more that I just worked or sorry, the more that I confidence in my game. Uh, the more confidence I had out on the course when I got to that number, Whereas like, Okay, I've played good for the first ten holes, Like really, what's going to change with my game? Like if I just keep on, if I just stick to my game plan and just keep on doing the same things, eventually I'm just gonna
keep on making birdies. And you know, I think, uh, that's a big problem that a lot of people make is once they get to there, is get to that point like four or five under, they start to thinking, Okay, now, I just I don't want to.
Lose it, right, Like, I don't know, I'm there. I did what I need to do, right.
Yeah, And usually what I think is, I mean, if I could get to three or four under going into the back, I was like, if I have a good back, nine I could shoot, I could shoot eight or nine. So that's kind of my mentality going into it, rather than trying not to lose it.
Gotcha. Okay, So I'm I've talked to Boyd about this as well, But I find the family dynamic with you guys very appealing. And when I say that, I mean it's not fake like watching boys Instagram stories, and sometimes they're the small dots, you know. I mean sometimes you'll get into like the dot Instagram stories, but I mean it's deep dive stuff on the tournaments. What I find so cool is you guys are out there rooting each other on. You're caddying for your sister. I remember when
you won a junior. I think you you flew to Wisconsin and caddy for Grace that week, right flew?
Yeah, I won the junior. I'm pretty sure I took a red eye the next night to Stephen's. Actually, no, were we drove, did you?
Yeah?
We drove. It was like from.
Stephens, Wisconsin. But I mean, like it's it's really genuine. What's it like having a sister at ASU, And what is the dynamic like in terms of competition, Like what do you guys do to push each other now that you're both collegiate players at the same university.
You know, it's funny even though we're both collegiate players right now, we're doing the same exact thing that we were doing when we were eleven, twelve, thirteen. Like, I mean, we were very close. We're very close family, so we basically are spending all day every day together. Uh. Now, obviously being in college it's a little bit different, but growing up, I mean it was we were together all the time. We were always trying to beat each other,
and we were always competing against each other. So, uh, you know, from there, I think it's it's cool to, you know, then go out and support your your family, And it's great because even though we are competing against each other, and we do want to be each other so bad, we want to see each other succeed so bad.
I mean, it's it's I mean, Marty, when you watch it, I mean when you get the seed and you've seen that you've known these these guys since there were kids, like young kids. I mean when you see him caddying and you see him win golf tournaments and literally drop what they were doing, leave the trophy somewhere and go support the next day. I mean, like I have little kids, like I hope that they're a twentieth of what we see from the summer, you.
Know, and it goes beyond you guys. I mean, your uncle Joe is playing in the Senior US Open this year, So your sister played in the women's, you played in the men's. He's playing in the senior I compete against him. Daniel was in here earlier today getting his clubs worked on.
We're calling him on KFT coverage. I mean, it's just it's like so wild, Like I see the summer in his name more than I see Woods and Nicholson these days. You know, it's like very very authentic in terms of golf stuff. It's very cool.
Yeah, one thing, yeah, go ahead, And president just going back to like how much do we support each other? Like Kim my little brother Cam, he's he's gonna be fifty sixteen tomorrow, and uh, he just won his first high school high school match yesterday. And you should have seen our group, our group chat Boyd sending videos every every five minutes. We're all going crazy, and you know he made he made like a good six seven footer on the last hole to win, and we just we went wild real quick.
What's the game when you three play who's giving shots, who's getting shots? And what's the game you guys play against each other?
So it's usually, uh, it's usually me and can VORs, Grace and Boyd. Okay, yeah, and uh that's usually our straight up, straight up and we play tiebreaker too everyone's counting. We want it to be. That's that's a big thing with our competition was we're trying to simulate tournament pressure as best we can. So when we're having a two v two game, we're making sure everybody counts, so you know, if two guys birdie, it's going to that next ball pressing.
When we interviewed your dad, he said every time he grew up playing golf, there was always something on the line every single round. Have you ever played around a golf where there's something not on the line, Like you just go play and whatever happens happens. Or is there always are you always playing for something?
I mean it's always pride, nobody, nobody in our family likes to lose. Yeah, uh so, I mean it doesn't really matter if we are playing for something or if we're not playing for something. We all want to win so bad where it's I mean, it's like we're playing for something. Uh huh.
I was I was asked by your father to ask you who's the best ping pong player on the A SU golf team. Right now, it seems like maybe it's not you, is what I'm I'm I'm getting from this.
No it's not me, unfortunately, and it hurts to say that. Okay, So I'm really lucky to live in a house with with a couple of my teammates and we put a ping pong table in this last year and me and me and my teammate Rix Johnston go at it every single Yeah. Rax is really good. Rax is just like a freak athlete.
Is a plus five handicap ping player?
Yeah, probably, but yeah it gets intense too. Like I'd probably say I get more intents in ping pong than I do than I do on the golf course.
It's like it's like a book and paddles I don't.
Yeah, seriously, uh huh. So, yeah, we usually have one or two best of seven game series every night, and unfortunately he beats me more. It's okay, more than I be.
It's important as adults to admit when you're not as good.
I'm really glad my dad asks you to ask me that.
Preston, you've made some One of the things that's impressed me a lot about watching you is how many clutch putts you've made. What I know, I think part of it is you guys. You're always you're trying to stimulate the termament pressure. You've kind of grown up with that. But what is your process on those big putts, whether it's to get the US open the putt to win the ASU event last year on the eighteenth toll, what you know? Uh, the you know putts you've had in
the Walker Cup, the Junior am. What is your process you know when you have a big putt or you're just going through your routine.
Uh, you know, I think one of the biggest things is confidence. When I get to a putt that I know I need to make or I I have one confidence I'm capable that I'm capable to make any put Uh. So I think that's a big thing. And uh, you know, it's funny. I really like to daydream, Like before I go to bed, I just start daydreaming, or when I'm driving, and every time it just goes back to certain moments. There's certain putts and I just go back and replay.
I just try to fill my mind with confidence that, you know, when there's a big putt on the line, I can make it. And then you know, when it kind of goes down to like the routine, I honestly couldn't tell you I feel like when there's a lot of pressure on the line, I completely zone out, just like a yes, h. I can't tell you what I'm thinking.
I will say I depend greatly on my eyes, and I feel I'll take more looks, I'll visualize it probably a little bit more intently, and uh, I'll just let my eyes of the work and you know, I'm confident that I'm going to make that.
But from the outside looking in, it looks like you were absolutely locked in. Yeah, and I've I've aspired to that, you know, looking at your routine. I need to be more intense, you know, yeah, and be totally locked in. It's been fun to watch.
Thank you.
Speaking of clutch, can we talk about the shot at the seventeenth the Walker Cup?
Yes?
Is that pin pack left?
Is that Ken was back?
So it was?
It was over the bunker yep. And so I mean, if nobody's played st Andrews before, there's no where to hit that. How much do you have in And is that one of the best shots, if not the best shot you've ever hit.
That's definitely one of the clutchest shots I've ever hit.
I mean, do you remember yardage wise?
It was probably around one fifty four to probably one fifty eight something in that range, and uh, you know, it's just one of those big moments again Walker Cup. We're getting beat badly. We desperately need a point or a half on the board, and you know, I hit it left. Obviously, don't want to do that. I want
to do the hotel. So I go left and I'm in the right, but I'm gonna divotol And that's a good thing because now I can generate some spin on the ball and you know, the wind is hard right to left, and you know, this is kind of where that creativity comes into play, and you know, being able to shape shots with the blueprints. I had somewhere in that range of fifty four to fifty eight, and I was thinking, Okay, if I need to hold the screen,
I need something that's gonna land really soft. And with the right to left wind, I was like, Okay, if I actually hit a slice, it's gonna fight that win so much where it's actually going to turn from crosswind to back into the world. Okay, yep, and I take like two clubs extra did.
You like seven iron?
Yeah? Okay, open up the face, aim left and that swing left and it's just perfect. It comes out left side of the green and it's a hard right to left wind, so anything that's fighting against it is like it's a pretty big slice and it's nice. I can finally see it starting to be soft, and you know, it lands and people are expecting it to like take a huge bounce or roll out and it just kind of one hop and stops, and you know, I have a I have like a fifteen footer to tie the
match going into eighteen. It was pretty special.
I mean, Marty, you've you've been to Saint Andrewship, you you've played her on that golf course. I mean that's just like when I would caddy there, you would not tell average players even that the pin was on the green. No hit it thirty yards right, tried hit it on eighteen. T Like, we're not messing with the hitting it over there, because we're gonna be on the roader in the bunker and it's gonna think us half an hour.
And you know what's the funny thing too, is every time we played that hole in the practice round, everyone's hitting putts from twenty thirty feet left of the pin. Yep, like off the green. That's just where you're supposed to hit it, because if you go right, then it's like in the neck it's really tight and you either have a weird up and over you hit it onto the road. So the play there is to just go left.
But it would speaking of that, I would tell like average regular golfers to do that, and nobody would listen to me. Yeah, They're like, what's this American caddy telling me to do? I'm like, no, I promise hit it left. It's actually okay over there.
President. I think one thing going back to your putter is fun. You like the blueprint irons because they're small. One of the reason you like and they're small, they help you get focused in Yeah, we designed that fetch putter yea. He it goes in the hole fetch, which is kind of fun. But b it's been a super popular putter for a lot of golfers because it's a little bit smaller. The face is small, helps to give you that focus. So tell us about how you got
in that putter. You know, what was the process. You've used some an answer over the years and things of that nature. But what do you like about the fetch?
Yeah?
So, I like you said, so I used the Voss for about five six years and that was that was my putter. That was my baby.
Yeah, and you know.
It's a crazy game. Sometimes things get off, and you know I came into ping one day I was like, hey, I just I just need a different look. I wanted to go something more Mallet style.
Yeah.
But another thing about the Voss is the Voss is also a smaller fig exactly. So I like looking down at something that's slightly smaller, a little bit more compact. And you know, I loved how the Fetch had the top line that you know, kind of ran on the top of the face, yeph and you know, it has the sight lines on the side. It was just a very clean looking putter, and you know, got hit some
putts in the lab and you know it was really good. Uh. And then from there I just kind of started filling it up.
So a compact Mallet, right. The cool story about the Voss, So Corey Bacon, no relations.
Shut up by the way, I brought them ball markers this time.
Actually, So Corey good player himself. He is won the Arizona Stadium and stroke play. He designed the Voss and in his whole concept with what with behind it is to make an answer style putter with the ball with cavity to help you get that focus and give you that smaller look. That's why we put that in the Voss is our Putter in our Prodigy Junior set, which
is pretty cool for that exact same reason. It kind of helped the kiddos instead of giving a big mallet, give him something that helps him focus a little bit.
Yeah, I think it's great.
What's it like going to college kind of getting away from your parents, getting away from your family, kind of owning your own time, owning your own practice, like laying out your own schedule. What's that been like over the last two and a half years or so for you to kind of I don't want to say grow up because it I mean it feels like you're an adult at sixteen, seventeen years old, but you know, take that kind of next leak into adulthood.
Yeah, I mean, it's been not gonna lie. It was a hard transition. You know, I can't imagine. You know, some of my teammates who have are international, coming from overseas. I was getting super homesick and I live thirty minutes away and I can go back whenever I want. So it was definitely a transition, especially being so close to my family for my entire life. It is just an extremely new experience.
Did you all force yourself to not go home? Like, I mean, you know, it's easy to go home, right, be easy to drive up, you know, the two of two and you're there, right. Was it something where you went I'm not going to immediately go home when I fill that home sickness. I'm gonna kind of handle it myself.
No, I definitely went home here. Yeah, I definitely went home. I probably went home too much, but yeah, and then kind of this last year and a half has been it's been great because now you know, I kind of learned to live on my own what I need to do, learn my routines, and you know, make new friends. It's super nice living living in our house with the golf guys. That makes it a lot of fun. But college has
been has just been an amazing experience. And yeah, just being an adult now, I mean I feel like I'm still a kid, but yeah, it's just been great.
Preston, where do you think you need to get better over the next say, one year and then maybe five to ten. What part of your game or strategy, fitness, what have you do you feel like you're you need to focus on.
Yeah, this's actually a great question because you know, as our season's kind of slowing down. At least once or twice a year, I like to do a really in depth strengths and weakness chart. And I did it about a week ago and it took me a couple of days. It it's ten pages long.
Wow, And you know, I think.
Trying to play golf at the highest level, you need to be very aware and then also to you need to be able to create a plan in order to change your and change your weaknesses. So it was three pages of strengths, two pages of weaknesses, one page of off season goals, and then the rest of the pages were the process of how I'm going to change those weaknesses into strengths. And I think the big thing that I came up with was I feel like I can
get a lot sharper with my wedges. And that's a big thing because of the distance I've gotten, so you know, like approach, uh huh, okay, yeah, stuff and more. Yeah, kind of that seventy seventy to one thirty range. I feel like if I get elite that my game is going to go to another level, and it's just because I'm hitting it far. So I have so many wedges now where if I can really sharpen that up, I'm going to give myself so many more birdie looks. So
that's one of my big goals. And then, uh, you know, just trying to keep my body healthy. Uh, nowadays it feels like I'm going from week to week to week to week to week. So it's super important to kind of create a recovery routine or a pre round post round routine just to make sure that your body's always good, because I mean, you can play this game for a while if you're healthy. And I think, uh, to accomplish the goals I want to accomplish, I need to stay healthy.
Marty. What was your when you were twenty twenty one years old? How was your post golf recovery situation going? Was it like, sure, even what that was like, You're just eating unhealthy food and just like going to the next party. In college, Yes, so I don't think I was thinking much about recovery.
I'll tell you I was into carbloading. I thought that man donut.
Things that James this is amazing. I mean a days were tough, Like jokes aside, do you think about that stuff? Like do you think about diet? I mean, do you guys talk about that with with coach and things like that, like what to eat tournament weeks because I mean, listen, metabolism is gonna tabolism when you're young, But when you're trying to play peak level golf and beat the college players out there right now, those are the small things that can make a difference.
Yeah, honestly, I should be better about that.
Okay, Well, again, you're still young.
I should be better about that. I think I can get away with it because of how young I am. But you know, if I just go out on the road to make sure I don't eat the worst foods possible, I.
Feel like I'm going to be okay.
Like if I if I look down the menu and I just don't pick the worst thing possible for me, I was like, that's a win.
Well, that's like the calorie count on the menus. Now we're brutal when you go. I actually like that it's three thousand calories. That's the appetizer at Chili's. I can't add that.
If you got a thirty six whole day the next day you got it.
You gotta say, it's like the It's like carbloating in Americas.
Yeah.
Going back to the junior am that you won, I was wondering, was there a moment in your junior career where something clicked or something happened with your golf game where you went, oh, wow, I do have the ability to go out there, because you're talking about potentially whinning the US Amateur as a sixteen year old. Yeah, did something happen when you were young where you went, I am really good at this game.
Yeah, So that was that was probably I really thought that I could like win these big tournaments when I was I had just won the Utah State Amateur at fifteen. I was the youngest du back to back I did yuh huh. This was the first one though. I I wanted to take my my uncle's record of the youngest, so kind of at that point, I played a great player, Kyle Kyle d duncle who was a he was an
All American senior at Utah. He was in at least eighty yards by me, and uh won that thirty six whole day, and you know, kind of from there, I just started to see my goals and my aspirations a little bit differently the junior.
Am some of the I mean, you'd beat Akha right on your way, which is kind of funny to think about PG tour.
Oh, Marty, Marty, we were covering that thing, and it was like circle this potential matchup, you know, because you know, I mean those things as you know in the amateurs or anything, I know, the dream matchups typically don't happen. Yeah, and the fact that you're getting pressed and Aucua, we're like sign us up, popcorn in the.
Booth, here we go.
So what what were some of those matches there? What was that match like? And then I think one of the matches you came down, you know, you came back a long way to capture it. So uh what was what were some of the key moment moments on your way to win that?
Yeah, you know, it was a long time ago. Uh, I'm having a hard time remembering, but daydream about yeah, I know, but yeah, that match against Akshay going in, I was definitely an underdog. I didn't play any a jagas he's the guy that's winning every single event possible. But you know what my dad talked to me. I was like, man, this is a really great opportunity. I actually don't have anything to lose. He's he's supposed to beat me because he's just an incredible player. He is
a phenom at that age. So going in I was like, man, if I could win this, like win this match, this would be pretty special. And you know, I went out there and I just had an amazing ball striking round, amazing ball striking round, made some good putts and you know, ended up winning one up till I get to the next match.
Well, was was the was the mat did championship match against Bojin? When you hit the shot on sixteen that you were like, you were way left and you hit that crazy good show? Was that sixteen? That was seventeen seventeen, Yeah, and I mean it was like in theory you're dead, yeah, and you hit this unbelievable shot hole high I remember.
Yeah, So that hole was actually crazy because you know, thirty six hole match the morning eighteen on that hole, me and my dad noticed that actually going down fifteen yep fairway, it makes the hole a lot shorter and it's actually an easier angle into that pin. So I went down the other fairway in the morning ended up winning that hole. So we get there in the afternoon and it's a hard left to right wind, and you know,
I'm still young. I still make dumb mistakes, and I just underplay the wind, put it right into like the center of the trees. I get up there, and you know, this is kind of where that confidence comes into play, where it's not like, hmm, that could go wrong, that could go wrong, that could go wrong. I look up and I say this one window, and I'm like, yep, I'm hitting it right there.
I mean I remember because I think maybe on sixteen, both three putted from a pretty comfortable spot right you had like twenty feet Andy three putted, and I think you won that hole, either to level the match or go one up. Yeah, and then you hit that shot on seventeen and it was like all right, game over, who we go?
That was easily the best shot of my career in the most intendine situation.
You have so many people in your life that are involved in golf, and not just your family. I mean we talked about Tony. I mean you've become buddies with John ram. I know you talk about evaluating your own golf game. How important is it for you to do the evaluation and not text Tony what do I need to prove on? Or text BOYD what I need to improve on? Like, how important is for you to look at your own golf game and be able to kind of, you know, outline what works and what doesn't.
Yeah, So I think that's probably one of the biggest things that I've taken away from actually being at college, you know, just living at home and having my dad as a coach and playing with a lot of great players day in and day out. They kind of do the work for you, tell you what you need to improve. And then once I got to college, start seeing my
dad less. I'm more on my own. I have to be more responsible for my game, and I actually I actually started learning my game a lot better where it's like, Okay, I'm not going to hit it if I feel this, but you know, I can get around the course doing this. So instead of people telling me exactly what I need to do, I kind of just learned from myself, and I think that's been super valuable to me and something that I've definitely improved on in the last couple of years.
It's being more aware of my game press.
I'm asking you a related question. When we talked to you when we had your dad on the pod, he made some mistakes and equipment when he got on the tour, and one of the things we talked about his process of helping you and and all of his students would be make sure something's not off in the equipment. First, he said, you're not a complainer, Tony's not a complainer.
Something's going on or maybe it's a mechanical issue. So related to that, do you feel like you've you've been able to highlight areas like if something's off on your driver, can you notice it yourself now? Or is that your dad or or or Kenton or Brad helping you out?
Yeah? So, I mean usually when I come into ping, I always leave hitting it good, good thing. Yeah, the guys get me right obviously, the equipment is uh, you know, it's it's good for me. So, uh, you know, once I come in actually quite often, especially before big events, because obviously that's the first thing we look at. We want to make sure that our equipment is good and it's fit to us and kind of our shots and and shape. So I come in a decent amount for that.
But you know, once I'm once I come out and you know, I start hitting, then I put it all on myself. And I think that's what's important with coming in here so often, is that I can always when I am hitting it bad, I can't blame myself rather than the club.
Yeah yeah, what changes did you make any tweaks on your driver or something before the Walker Cup? Before the Walker Cup, tell us a little bit about that.
Yeah, so, uh, you know at the at the us AM Cherry Hill, I hit my driver that good, and you know that's not really of course, where you hit a ton of drivers. So uh, but I noticed that there was a couple of shots that I didn't really like, or a couple of swings that I felt like I swung it good and it just didn't go in the
right direction. Uh So, once I figured out I was playing at Saint Andrews, as I called Brad, I was like, hey, you mind if I come in here, just get everything checked out, probably try a couple of different shafts, see if I can try to start getting this ball a little bit more online. And you know, came in did
some good work. It felt like when I was coming down, the clubhead was a little bit more behind, uh, and that's where I was getting my right miss So we tried something that was a little bit stiffer, felt like the clubhead was slightly more on top or outside, and you know, fix it like that.
Coming out lower at all. I mean, obviously going to Saint Andrew's playing in the wind, did you want it to look a little lower kind of off the face.
Uh, not quite. I'm actually, uh, that's.
One of you can launch it. I mean you can launch it really really hot.
Yeah, that's that.
I would probably say that's one of my strengths is I'm able to kind of control my trajectory pretty well. So if I want to hit it low than I can.
Uh.
And then actually, another big thing about coming in here. Right before sat Andrews, I was like, hey, Brad, give me the hottest iron you could possibly make.
What was it? What was the hottest iron?
Oh?
It was a it a cross, Yeah, it was cross. It was a crossover like three iron, but it was turned down and it was so funny because I mean it is a missile.
Yeah, it's Andrews.
I was hitting my two iron maybe like twenty yards past other guys's three woods. Really Yeah, so you're ninety three, he's I mean, obviously it depends on the wind for sure, but I mean it was an absolute weapon, especially when it's saying dead straight and it's only going twenty feet off the ground.
You hit it tho. Yeah, by the time you get up to the ball, it's finally stopped rolling.
Yeah, at that point you just got to aim the club.
That's right, Presta.
What's your typical angle of attack on your driver?
Oh, that's a good question. Uh So angle of attack I think is usually slightly up, maybe from one to two degrees up, and then I try to launch my driver anywhere from nine and a half to eleven and a half. Ye kind of that's that's my optimal zone.
Yeah. Okay, Preston, this is coming from someone that just made this change. So I'm asking you, this is the seven wood at all? At least thought about getting your bag. Have you considered the seven wood? Is it in the back right now in my bag? Have you have you? Are you thinking of seven?
Okay? So when I was playing, or after I won the junior and figured out I was playing uh wing foot yep, I came in and we were thinking, oh, these par threes, they're they're perfect. Seven weeks since and it's like, I'm not gonna hit a three iron because you know these screens are firm. It's gonna be coming in low. I take the seven wood out there. It's been my favorite club ever since.
So is there one in the back right now? There's playing the second one? How long you've been had in the back for four? Five, six years?
Ever since?
So so three years? So you were like early adopter.
I'm telling you. Seven I'm telling you is my favorite club. I think everyone should have a seven wood.
And you do you go driver seven wood or driver three? Go driver three with seven driver three?
The seven would come out of the bag at St. Andrews for the driving.
I three wood. I'm never taking my second wood out.
This makes me so good about my.
Seven decisions, my commitment to the seven wood. I mean, I'm never leaving that thing.
This is like saw him because he plays two clubs that go the same same, one that goes high, one that goes low. So you kind of did that right at uh it's St. Andrews.
Yeah, you lay out your goals for this year if you don't mind sharing them. You don't have to share them, but do you do you have the goals you want to check off. You said summer goals as well. What's kind of on the Preston Summer Hayes goal list right now?
Yeah, I think, uh, you know, I think a big thing that I've learned is, uh, you know, kind of creating goals is great, but you also want to have processed goals, okay, because if you just get fixated on, you know, win this event, win this an event, don't and if you don't, you just you don't feel good.
Uh So I think one of the biggest things, uh, I'm going to try to work on is making sure I take that strength and weakness chart out to every time I practice, make sure I have a plan for my practice, and just try to make my game a little bit better each and every day. And I think I'll start to get, you know, reach those goals that I want, but then a couple of like placement goals I want as I would like to. Uh, I want
to be first team All American again. I want to get a get a good run at the Ben Hogan Award, Haskins Award. I think if you're ever in contention for for those awards. You're doing something pretty well, and uh, you know, just try to keep on giving myself opportunities to do some special stuff on the big stage.
Anything else, Marty, that's been This has been awesome.
Last one I got for you? What's your nickname? In college? What do they call you?
Put In?
Put In?
Put In?
Can we the reason?
Yeah?
I mean like, Ma's got a photo on his phone with me at wing.
So you're saying to your is this your chubby er?
Is that? Oh?
I was? I was chubby. I was chubby.
But it's pretty good.
Yeah, it is a great name. It's got my freshman year and it's stuck ever since.
It seems like that your body type change.
Quite it's a lot.
You're more slender, more athletic, and stronger.
Right after, right after the Junior Presidence Cup, I think it was twenty nineteen, I hit a point where I was like, man, I really got to lose some weight. I lost like like forty fifty And then.
What'd you do to lose that weight? I mean, was it working out? It was a diet? Was it both?
It was mainly diet. I just really had to stop eating junk food. Yeah, yeah, that that happens. It happens.
I'll say this in life though, I mean I'm almost forty. You go through waves. Yeah, Like we're in the little kid phase right now where we have a rough day with the kids. It's like we're ordering mcflury's did Yeah. Like these kids were complete insane nutballs today. So you'll get there eventually, Preston. We appreciate the time, good luck this year. Good luck at the PJ Tour event. People listening to know how you played. Maybe you'll be an amateur winner, like the last winner on the PJA Tour
was Nameter, also a Sun devil. And we appreciate the time, good luck this year. This is the Paying Proving Grounds Podcast